The 249th Engineer Battalion was first constituted in the Army of the United States on 25 February 1943 as the 249th Engineer Combat Battalion and activated at Camp Bowie, Texas on 5 May 1943. It fought in four campaigns of the European Theater in World War II and was honored with a Citation in the Order of the Day of the Belgium Army for its outstanding service during the Battle of the Bulge.
Inactivated from November 1945 until March 1948, the unit was redesignated as the 442nd Engineer Construction Battalion and allotted to the Organized Reserves (which became the Army Reserve in July 1952) and activated 89 April 1948. It was given its current designation on 9 December 1954 and concurrently withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army on 9 December 1954. Before its next inactivation in October 1991, the Battalion would deploy in support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, taking part in all three campaigns and receiving a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its exceptional performance.
After being inactivated for over three years, the Battalion was reactivated on 16 November 1994 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, site of its current Headquarters and Headquarters Company and two subordinate Engineer Companies (C and D). Its other two Companies, A and B, are respectively based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in eastern North Carolina. Each of these companies consists of four to six platoons, each with the ability to produce roughly 3 megawatts of power. Since its activation at Fort Belvoir, the Battalion has been tapped for three Army Superior Unit Awards, (1994-1995, 1995-1996, 2011-2012).
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been
authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
Enlisted personnel wear the insignia centered on a shoulder loop by placing it an equal distance from the outside shoulder seam to the outside edge of the shoulder-loop button. Officers (except Generals) wearing grade insignia on the shoulder loops center the DUI by placing it an equal distance between the inside edge of the grade insignia and the outside edge of the button.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e),
"Beret" and
"Garrison Cap," respectively.